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University of North Carolina Wilmington 2019 Annual Fire Safety Report Page 1

Table of Contents

A Message from the Interim Director of Environmental Health & Safety ……………………….2

Campus Fire Safety Reporting ……………………………………………………………………3

Fire Safety Education and Training ………………………………………………………………3

Fire Exit Drills ……………………………………………………………………………………3

Fire Evacuation Guidelines …….…………………………………………………………………4

Tampering with Fire Systems……………………………………………………………………..4

UNCW Fire Safety Policies and Rules……………………………………………………………5

Smoking…………………………………………………………………………………………...5

Decorations………………………………………………………………………………………..5

Appliances…………………………………………………………………………………………6

Other Fire Safety Rules……………………………………………………………………………7

Planned Improvements…………………………………………………………………………….7

Building Fire System Descriptions………………………………………………………………..8

2016 to 2018 Fire Logs……………………………………………………………………………9

About UNCW Environmental Health & Safety………………………………………………….13

Contact Us:

UNCW

Environmental Health & Safety

601 S. College Road

Wilmington, NC 28403-5974

Phone: 910.962.3057

Fax: 910.962.3473

[email protected]

https://uncw.edu/ehs/

Other Resources:

Calls to the emergency numbers listed below are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:

Fire, Medical or Criminal 911

University Police (non-emergency) 910.962.2222

Calls to the numbers below are answered 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday:

UNCW Environmental Health & Safety 910.962.3057

UNCW Housing & Residence Life 910.962.3241

mailto:[email protected]

https://uncw.edu/ehs/


THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT WILMINGTON

October 1, 2019

Students and Parents:

The University of North Carolina Wilmington is committed to providing our students a safe and

secure environment, where they can pursue their personal and academic goals while enjoying our

beautiful coastal setting. Our employees work hard to provide resident students with an on-

campus “home away from home” that is as secure as possible from the threat of fire and other

hazards.

This 2019 UNCW Campus Fire Safety Report outlines fire protection systems, policies and

procedures that apply to residence hall fire safety, as well as educational efforts concerning fire

safety. It also includes a log of fire events within residential facilities on our campus. It is our

objective to learn from each event that occurs, no matter how small, so we may further refine and

revise our policies, procedures and educational efforts to prevent a similar event from occurring.

UNCW strives every day to foster a culture of campus safety for our faculty, staff and students.

Data collected nationally indicates that the number of deaths and injuries due to fire on college

campuses is many times lower than the same risk in off-campus properties. This is in great part

due to the education, fire-safe construction, and safety controls that UNCW and other

universities have in place to protect students. Fire safety is just one of the many areas in which

Environmental Health & Safety collaborates with campus departments, in a concerted and

dedicated effort to protect students on and off campus.

Thank you for choosing UNCW, and we look forward to assisting you in any way we can. Please

contact us if you have questions about this report or other safety matters.

Sincerely,

Deborah G. Tew

Interim Director, Environmental Health & Safety

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & SAFETY (EH&S)

601 SOUTH COLLEGE ROAD · WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA 28403-5974 · (910) 962-3108 · FAX (910) 962-3473


Campus Fire Safety Reporting

Regulations under the Higher Education Opportunity and Affordability Act require fire

safety reporting for on-campus housing facilities at all colleges and universities. These reports

serve to introduce and increase fire safety awareness on college and university campuses across

the nation to provide students and their families with critical fire safety information. This report

parallels University Police Department efforts in crime prevention. If you are interested in

UNCW’s most recent Annual Security Report, visit http://uncw.edu/police/documents/crime.pdf.

Please take time to review our fire safety information, policies and statistics. Let us know

if you have any questions regarding fire safety by contacting us at 910.962.3057 or

[email protected].

Fire Safety Education and Training

Residence hall staff receive comprehensive fire and emergency training prior to the start

of every fall semester. Topics include a review of fire prevention policies and disaster

preparedness practices, followed by a hands-on fire extinguisher training, emergency evacuation

exercise and educational opportunities.

Fire safety training programs are also provided to other student, staff and faculty groups

on campus by request. Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) partners with the Wilmington

Fire Department (WFD) during numerous educational programs in residence halls. EH&S staff

are members of Life and Safety Education Resources (LASER), a local nonprofit dedicated to

fire and life safety. These programs typically consist of a community-building event such as a

cooking demonstration and a review of fire prevention and evacuation procedures, followed by

hands-on fire extinguisher training. Bulletin board kits and PowerPoint presentations are

provided to resident advisors as a tool to help educate their residents.

Fire Exit Drills

Fire exit drills are conducted four times each year cooperatively between EH&S and

Housing & Residence Life. The purpose of these drills is to educate residents in fire exit

procedures and familiarize them with the building exits and fire protection systems.

Logs of these fire exit drills, including the date, time and number of persons evacuated and other

comments, are maintained by EH&S.

During fire drills, residents should:

When instructed, either by fire alarm or other alert notification method, calmly evacuate

the building using the stairs, not elevators.

http://uncw.edu/police/documents/crime.pdf



Evacuate to a safe place outside of the building, preferably 500 feet away, then attempt to

locate their roommates and let responders know if they are unaccounted for.

Remain in this location until everyone is accounted for, and notify emergency responders

if they believe someone may be trapped.

Those with mobility impairments should shelter in stairwells until help arrives if they are

unable to navigate stairs.

Refrain from re-entering the building until emergency personnel determine it is safe and

have instructed residents to return.

Participation in fire drills is mandatory; failure to evacuate the building during a fire alarm

will result in disciplinary action.

Residents are encouraged to discuss fire evacuations procedures with their room/suitemates

or resident advisor. Floor plans of residence halls are available here:

https://uncw.edu/housing/communities/.

Fire Evacuation Guidelines

If the fire alarm is activated, stop all activities and immediately initiate evacuation.

Test your door; if it is hot, seal the door with a wet towel to help keep smoke out. Call

911 and provide emergency personnel with your exact location.

Stay low to the floor if smoke enters the room. If possible, signal the fire department

from a window.

If it is safe to exit, be sure to close the door behind you when you do so.

Follow exit signs to the nearest stairwell. Do not use elevators.

Go to a designated meeting spot, a safe distance from the building. It is recommended

that each building’s key personnel predetermine where to meet in case of an emergency.

Do not re-enter the building until authorized by UPD or the fire department to do so, even

if the alarm has stopped.

In the event of injury or damage to property, please notify EH&S as soon as possible at

910.962.3057 or [email protected].

Tampering with Fire Systems

Firefighting, detection, suppression, and alarm equipment is provided for the protection

of all residents. Misuse of, or tampering with, this equipment is a violation of university

regulations and state criminal statutes. Below are references to the UNCW Code of Student Life

and the Campus Living Handbook as well as other websites that apply to tampering with these

systems. All cases of persons tampering with fire alarm systems are taken seriously and are

routed through the campus conduct system. This may result in sanctions taken by the campus

conduct board or criminal justice system, such as warnings, educational experiences, immediate

https://uncw.edu/housing/communities/



termination of housing rental agreements, or referral to the state criminal justice system, where

criminal fines and/or imprisonment could occur.

Additionally, it is a violation of North Carolina State Law to tamper with fire protection

systems. Below is a link to North Carolina General Statute 14-286:

https://www.ncleg.net/enactedlegislation/statutes/pdf/bysection/chapter_14/gs_14-286.pdf

UNCW Fire Safety Policies and Rules

While educational programs and information are located both in EH&S and Housing &

Residence Life, fire safety regulations inside the residence halls are located within the Housing

and Residence Life website and several publications. Below are links to the various sites:

Code of Student Life: https://uncw.edu/odos/documents/cosl-current.pdf

Campus Living Handbook:

https://uncw.edu/housing/documents/CampusLivingHandbook.pdf

Residence Hall Safety: https://www.uncw.edu/ehs/ResidenceHall.html

Campus Fire Safety: https://uncw.edu/ehs/fire.html

Smoking

The buildings on the University of North Carolina Wilmington campus are smoke-free;

this applies to all academic, student support, and residential buildings. This means that smoking

is not permitted in buildings at any time, including the use of electronic smoking devices (i.e., e-

cigs, vaping devices). Further, there is a 25-foot no smoking zone at all residence hall entrances.

Violators of the smoke-free guidelines will be held accountable for their actions via the student

conduct system. Students found in violation of this policy will be fined at least $25 for their first

instance and at least $50 for each subsequent violation. Smoking is allowed outside; however,

cigarettes should be extinguished properly in receptacles and not near combustible landscaping

materials.

Decorations

Decorating your room is a way to express your personality and individuality. There are,

however, certain restrictions that apply that protect everyone:

Use of an extension cord is only allowed if one item is plugged into it. If extension cords

are used, they must be UL-approved and be of an adequate wire gauge for the intended

use.

https://www.ncleg.net/enactedlegislation/statutes/pdf/bysection/chapter_14/gs_14-286.pdf

https://uncw.edu/odos/documents/cosl-current.pdf

https://uncw.edu/housing/documents/CampusLivingHandbook.pdf

https://www.uncw.edu/ehs/ResidenceHall.html

https://uncw.edu/ehs/fire.html


Frayed or broken cords must not be used.

Electrical cords, such as light strings or extension cords, telephone, or data wires should

not be routed through doorways or across walkways. This creates a trip hazard in the fire

exit pathway.

Do not plug cords and lights into an overloaded circuit. Multi-plug adapters are

prohibited in university buildings; instead, use power strips with a fuse or integral circuit

breaker. These typically have a reset switch or button on them.

Candles, incense, oil lamps, tiki torches, etc., are not permitted in any on-campus

residence or the areas surrounding the residence halls. Battery-powered candles are

permitted.

Walls of any residence life area may not be covered by cardboard and no wall may have

more than 50% of its surface covered including with paper, fabric, metal, etc. Ceilings

must not be covered.

Halogen lamps are not allowed in the residence halls. Halogen lamps burn up to 10 times

hotter than an ordinary light bulb, causing a potential fire hazard.

Cords or other decorations must not be hung from, attached to, or obscure fire and life

safety systems such as smoke detectors, sprinklers, pull stations and exit signs.

Live Christmas trees are not permitted in student rooms.

Appliances

Portable electric appliances are allowed in residence halls with the following exceptions:

Halogen lamps: the bulb temperature constitutes a fire hazard and a potential source of

burns

Space heaters

Homemade extension cords or electrical appliances

Ceiling fans or track lighting that are not university installed

As a general rule, microwaves and single-cup coffee makers (e.g., Keurig) are the only

cooking appliances allowed in student rooms.

The following items are allowed in kitchens only:

Countertop electric grills

Deep fryers

Electric skillets/griddles

Oil popcorn poppers

Toasters, toaster ovens or any other electrical appliance with open coils or flames


Other Fire Safety Rules

Storage of hazardous materials is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, gasoline,

kerosene, lighter fluid, propane, oxygen, chemicals and gas grills.

Nothing may be stored in stairwells, either indoors or outdoors.

Grills, smokers, charcoal, lighter fluid, gas tanks, etc., cannot be stored in any residential

area on university-owned property. Grills may be used at least 25 feet from all buildings

and combustible materials. Use of the public grilling units provided is encouraged.

Planned Improvements

Environmental Health & Safety always seeks opportunities for improvement and has

identified the following areas of improvement over the next 12-24 months:

An e-cig education campaign

The design and installation of a state-of-the-art fire alarm central reporting station that

will provide greater reliability and redundancy in the system, particularly during outages

On-campus work groups targeting the reduction of nuisance fire alarms in collaboration

with UPD, EH&S, HRL, and Facilities

Recordkeeping and analysis to identify common themes that may reduce the nuisance of

fire alarms

Increased use of digital signage in the residence halls to educate students regarding fire

prevention

Exploration of potential funding for engineering controls that may help reduce cooking-

related nuisance fire alarms.


UNCW Residential Building Fire System Descriptions

* University Apartments D and K do not have smoke detection in the bedroom areas, as these

two buildings were renovated under a different fire code than the others. Smoke detectors are

located within the common areas.

All University Apartment buildings were demolished in late 2018, following Hurricane Florence.

Note: All residential buildings have portable fire extinguishers located in the kitchen and

common areas; these are inspected monthly by EH&S and maintained annually by a third-party

vendor.

Location

Year

Built

Smoke

Detectors in

Common

Areas

Smoke

Detectors

in

Bedrooms

Sprinkler

Coverage

100%

24-Hr. Alarm

Monitoring at

UNCW

Central Station Standpipes

Delayed

Egress

Secondary

Doors

Building

Construction

Belk Hall 1976 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Non-

Combustible

Cornerstone Hall 2003 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Non-

Combustible

Galloway Hall 1971 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Non-

Combustible

Graham Hall 1979 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Non-

Combustible

Hewlett Hall 1978 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Non-

Combustible

Honors House 1998 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Non-

Combustible

Innovation House 1998 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Non-

Combustible

Schwartz Hall 1985 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Non-

Combustible

Seahawk

Crossing 1-4 2009 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Wood-Frame

Seahawk

Landing 1-7 2007 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Wood-Frame

Seahawk Village

1-6 2006 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Wood-Frame

University

Apartments A-M 1981 Yes Yes* Yes Yes

Wood-Frame

University Suites

O-U 1989 Yes Yes Yes Yes

Non-

Combustible


Fire Log

A log is maintained by EH&S and is updated continuously throughout the year. Faculty,

staff, students and contractors should notify EH&S of any fire occurring on campus as soon as

possible either by calling 910.962.3057 or emailing [email protected]. This should not be

considered the contact for a fire emergency, but for reporting after the emergency has ended. All

emergencies should be reported by dialing 911. The fire logs for the three most recent calendar

years are attached on the following pages for each on-campus housing facility. Note that not all

nuisance fire alarms are included in this log -- only those which meet the definition of fire as

cited in 34 CFR 668.49(d). Additionally, this log includes only residential facilities on campus.

During the 2018 reporting period, there were no reportable fires. There were numerous

nuisance alarms that were typically caused by cooking. Secondary causes were mechanical or

detector end-of-life-related.



UNCW Residential Building Reportable Fires for 2017

Location

Date Fire

Reported

Date of

Fire

Time of

Fire Cause of Fire

Number of

Injuries Related

to a Fire

Number of

Deaths Related

to a Fire

Value of

Property

Damage

Fire

Dept.

Response

Belk Hall N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Cornerstone Hall N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Galloway Hall N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Graham Hall N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Hewlett Hall N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Honors House N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Innovation House N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Schwartz Hall N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Seahawk Crossing 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A




Seahawk Landing 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A







Seahawk Village 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A






University Apartment A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Apartment B N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Apartment C N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Apartment D N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Apartment E N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Apartment F N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Apartment G N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Apartment H N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Apartment I N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Apartment J N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Apartment K N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Apartment L N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Apartment M N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Suite O N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Suite P N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Suite Q N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Suite R N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Suite S N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Suite T N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

University Suite U N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A


Location

Date Fire

Reported

Date

of Fire

Time of

Fire Cause of Fire

Number of

Injuries Related

to a Fire

Number of

Deaths Related

to a Fire

Value of

Property

Damage

Fire

Dept.

Response

Belk Hall

Cornerstone Hall

Galloway Hall

Graham Hall

Hewlett Hall



Location

Date Fire

Reported

Date

of Fire

Time of

Fire Cause of Fire

Number of

Injuries Related

to a Fire

Number of

Deaths Related

to a Fire

Value of

Property

Damage

Fire

Dept.

Response


Cornerstone Hall N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A


Graham Hall N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A




















Seahawk Village 5 4/23/17 4/23/17 4/23/17 Stovetop cooking 0 0 $700 Yes
























Location

Date Fire

Reported

Date of

Fire

Time of

Fire Cause of Fire

Number of

Injuries Related

to a Fire

Number of

Deaths Related

to a Fire

Value of

Property

Damage

Fire

Dept.

Response


Cornerstone Hall 11/21/16 11/21/16 9:54 am Boxes on stovetop 0 0 $100 Yes


Graham Hall 1/20/16 1/20/16 3:00 pm Faulty lobby light 0 0 $200 Yes











































About UNCW Environmental Health & Safety

In addition to fire safety, EH&S is responsible for a variety of safety and related

programs throughout the UNCW community. Our charge includes workplace safety, fire safety,

emergency management, laboratory safety, health and sanitation, sustainability and

environmental and safety compliance.

Additionally, UNCW and the Wilmington Fire Department work very closely together in

planning, response and education efforts. This relationship between UNCW and the WFD is

especially strong with cooperative programs, two written memorandums of agreement (MOA)

formally agreeing to commit our combined resources and efforts, and UNCW contributing its

official logo for use on two of the engines that respond to campus. This allows us to be more

efficient and effective in our efforts and to reach larger audiences. Through such an exemplary

relationship between our agencies, UNCW students, faculty, and staff are afforded a greater

degree of protection.

We are granted authority by the chancellor as outlined in the following policy:

https://uncw.edu/policies/documents/05_600_EHandSPolicy_5Feb2010.pdf

Our highly educated, well-trained and experienced staff of 11 full-time employees helps

to make UNCW a safe place to live and work.

Our mission is to lead the university to a safe, healthy, sustainable and disaster-resilient

culture by providing educational, technical and operational services to support the UNCW

community.

We hope that you have found this report informative. If you have questions, or if we may

assist you in any way, please contact us.

https://uncw.edu/policies/documents/05_600_EHandSPolicy_5Feb2010.pdf


Documents

[Type here] [Type here] [Type here] · 2020. 8. 6. · Decorating your room is a way to express your personality and individuality. There are, however, certain restrictions that apply